Paws Rescue, a no-kill animal rescue that finds homes for abandoned, neglected or stray cats and dogs, celebrated its 18th Anniversary on June 30. 

“We pull a lot from the (City of Vicksburg Animal Shelter), we take them off the streets but we have taken owner surrenders as well,” Leigh Conerly from Paws Rescue said. “There’s so many unaltered pets running around town, the shelters are full, the pound is full and we stay full.”

Conerly said that Paws Rescue’s biggest accomplishment is the ability to find homes for all of the animals that come through their doors.

“We don’t have a facility; we work out of our home. So we’re all strictly a volunteer organization and just continuing to save the animals is an accomplishment with itself,” Conerly said.

However, adding a pet to the family requires commitment and patience. Conerly’s advice to prospective adopters is to make sure the animal you adopt fits your lifestyle. 

“The biggest advice is to give them time to adjust to your family in your home. If you’re a couch potato, get a border collie or a small dog,” Conerly said. “Make sure that you know that puppies get big and need training and bonding time.”

 Conerly said that there is an application process along with an adoption fee. Once the application is received and approved the dog adoption fee is $100 and the cat adoption fee is $25. 

For more information and to view available animals visit  http://pawsrescuepets.org/ or the Paws Rescue Facebook Page.